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Monday, September 1, 2014

Harvest Wheat Bread

KAF Harvest Wheat Bread -- Fresh from the Machine!

This is my new favorite bread. I've made it several times now, and I just can't get enough of it. It's hearty, tasty, and filled with good things. Plus, it's a recipe that's made for a bread machine (although it can also be oven baked). It's from the good folks at King Arthur Flour.

I've changed it a bit to make it low sodium and to accommodate my preferences. To keep the bread from staling quickly, I use coconut oil and honey instead of olive oil and sugar. I also add a tablespoon of lecithin granules with the liquid to help slow staling and a tablespoon of orange juice concentrate to counteract the bitterness sometimes found in whole wheat breads. I only use 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds and add 1 tablespoon each of golden flax seeds and sesame seeds. I also substitute 1 cup of white whole wheat flour (minus 3 tablespoons) for one of the cups of bread flour. And, I halve both the yeast and salt measurements. (To make it completely salt-free, I'd suggest using no more than 1 teaspoon of yeast and watching the rising dough carefully to avoid over-proofing.) For more tips on low sodium bread baking -- in a machine or not -- check out thislinkto an earlier post. Or this link.

Because I use more whole wheat flour than the recipe calls for, I make sure I have a spray bottle filled with water nearby and check the dough several times during the kneading process. Whole wheat flour is notorious for soaking up liquid, so I often spritz the dough while it's kneading.

This bread makes great toast and fabulous summer tomato sandwiches. I bake it in my Zojirushi bread machine because it's summer and hot. But I'm sure it would turn out just as well baked in an oven.

Combine the cracked wheat and boiling water in the pan of your bread machine, and let the wheat soften for 30 minutes.

Place the remaining ingredients into the pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Program the machine for the basic cycle, and press Start.

Check the dough's consistency about 10 minutes before the end of the final kneading cycle, adding additional water or flour to form a soft, smooth ball of dough. Allow the machine to complete its cycle. Cool the bread completely before serving. Yield: one loaf.

KAF Note: To bake bread in the oven, program your machine for the dough or manual cycle. When the cycle is complete, remove the dough, and place it in a lightly greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan. Allow the dough to rise, covered, for about 1 hour, or until it's crowned about 1 inch over the rim of the pan. Bake the bread in a preheated 350°F oven for 35 to 45 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf registers about 190°F. Remove the bread from the oven, turn it out of the pan, and let it cool on a wire rack.

4 comments:

Marty
said...

I make no salt bread in a bread machine, but it requires a bread machine with a bake only cycle. It is done this way. Put all the ingredients except salt into the bread machine. Use the DOUGH cycle. Don't let it go until completion since it may rise too much. I let it go for 1 hour into a 90 minute dough cycle. After an hour, stop the dough cycle (reset or a stop button on the machine). Go to a bake only cycle for an hour. If a normal bread cycle is used without any salt, the dough will rise too much and then fall when it bakes. Every machine is different, so some experimentation will be required.

Marty, thanks so much for your input. Sounds like you've perfected baking no-salt breads in your machine. You've definitely mastered dealing with the fact that without salt, bread doughs tend to rise more quickly than normal and often overproof. That's something that many low sodium bread recipes fail to explain or take into consideration. Thanks for the reminder.

Hi, Erich! Thanks for your kind comments. I use the cracked wheat/bulgur from Bob's Red Mill. I'm able to get it at a couple local grocery stores and natural foods stores. I've never tried wheat berries in bread, but I'd bet they'd add an interesting texture. My guess is that they'd have to be soaked or partially cooked before use.

I am truly nuts about cracked wheat breads. If you looked at my files, I think you'd find at least a dozen different recipes. And they're all favorites.

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LOW SODIUM RECIPES, COOKING, SHOPPING, AND DINING

Why low sodium?

Several years ago my husband was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and prescribed a low sodium diet. He's done very well with it, but it has been a tremendous challenge for me. Luckily, I was a good cook to start with and knew how to use a variety of herbs and spices. I've done a lot of experimenting and borrowing from others in order to keep our meals from getting boring. This blog is a record of my adventures with low sodium cooking. Hopefully, it will inspire and encourage others.